Revenue Authority Approves Plan for National Tax Conference

(JUBA) – A national taxation conference will be held to allow wider consultations on tax reforms in South Sudan. The Ministerial High Level Committee on Economic Reforms approved the proposal during an extraordinary meeting held on Thursday 6th August.

The decision followed a presentation by Agrey Tisa Sabuni, Technical Advisor on Revenue Mobilisation at the South Sudan Revenue Authority, known as SSRA. The meeting was chaired by Pieng Deng Kuol.

The committee received presentations from the South Sudan Bureau of Standards on fuel marking, dipping and testing, the Ministry of Roads and Bridges on weighbridges, and the SSRA on the proposed National Taxation Conference.

The committee endorsed the proposal, allowing the SSRA to organise the conference as a platform for stakeholders to discuss key tax reform issues. These include regional tax harmonisation, improving exchange and customs valuation rates, the introduction of Value Added Tax, known as VAT, and expanding the country’s tax base.

Speaking to the media after the meeting, the committee’s rapporteur, James Mawich, said the committee had resolved that all fuel entering the country should be tested and marked to ensure quality, protect consumers and strengthen regulatory oversight.

He added that the committee had also called for a review of the existing public private partnership agreement between the South Sudan Bureau of Standards and its affiliated companies to better reflect government interests and improve revenue collection from fuel marking activities.

On the report presented by the Minister of Roads and Bridges, Peter Lam Both, and his team, the committee said weighbridges are important in regulating the weight and size of heavy trucks to protect the country’s roads from damage caused by overloaded vehicles.

The committee also supported the ministry’s proposal to allocate funds from non oil revenues for the rehabilitation of the Juba Nimule Highway. The aim is to boost regional trade and increase domestic revenue collection.

The committee noted a positive response from taxpayers to the recently introduced cash payment policy for government revenue collecting agencies. The policy has helped increase liquidity and enabled the government to speed up the payment of salaries in cash.

In a related development, the Deputy Commissioner General of the South Sudan Revenue Authority, Solomon Ariik Manyok, has called on customs officers at the Nimule Customs Station to uphold integrity, professionalism and ethical conduct. The remarks were made on Wednesday during the official introduction of the newly appointed Assistant Commissioner of the Nimule Customs Station, Gatluak Riek Mark, to senior management and staff.

Ariik said discipline, accountability and commitment to duty are essential to the successful implementation of the authority’s reform agenda. He said every SSRA officer and member of staff is expected to be committed, ethical and to display the highest level of integrity.

The Commissioner of Customs Revenue Division, John Mading Bol, delivered a message from the Commissioner General of the South Sudan Revenue Authority, Moun Deng Ajuet, urging officers to fully support and cooperate with the new Assistant Commissioner in the interest of improving revenue collection.

Mading cautioned staff against internal divisions and the spread of false information that could undermine teamwork. He said staff should remain one team at all times and avoid spreading false and negative reports that create division during leadership changes.

In his remarks, Assistant Commissioner Gatluak Riek Mark expressed appreciation for the confidence placed in him, noting that this is the third time he has been entrusted with leading the Nimule Customs Station. He encouraged officers to improve their professional knowledge and technical skills to keep pace with changing customs practices and new technologies.

The SSRA senior management team also assessed operational challenges affecting the station, including persistent cargo truck congestion in Nimule Town.